Post by Donnie on 11/02/19 at 13:52:12
This is the only way to go.
25th Anniversary Super Zen.
You can say "Thank you Donnie" after you get yours.
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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl Audio Forums >> Frequently Asked Questions >> Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1572698605 Message started by Alex on 11/02/19 at 13:43:25 |
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Title: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/02/19 at 13:43:25 Hello folks, My Lii Audio Fast 10 speakers arrived and I put them in a ported enclosure and they sound wonderful. The next item I need to get is a tube amp but would like some advice on what I should get. Should I get a low powered tube amp? I like the look of the KT120/150 but is that overkill for these drivers? As these speakers are right now, the high's are excellent, the mids are sexy and the bass is awesome. However, I am looking to take my sound to the next level. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Donnie on 11/02/19 at 13:52:12 This is the only way to go. 25th Anniversary Super Zen. You can say "Thank you Donnie" after you get yours.
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 11/02/19 at 13:56:45 I would agree, especially if this is going to be your main audio system. Otherwise get one of the Zen amps, the basic or the Monoblocks or an older used one. Take advantage of the high efficiency and utilize the best low powered amp you can. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/02/19 at 14:11:44 lol....3295.00? That's a lot of mullah. No doubt that it sounds good but damnn. :) |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Donnie on 11/02/19 at 14:23:39 Sorry, I figured that someone who dropped a grand on a pair of drivers.... Ok go with a SE84UFO, 90% of the performance of the Anniversary edition for considerably less. Again, you will thank me. 
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/02/19 at 14:31:44 Thank you. This is more of my speed. :) By the way, I bought the Fast 10 which is 490 including shipping. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Donnie on 11/02/19 at 14:48:56 Sorry, it seems like all of the noise around here lately has been about the Chrystal 10's. I should of paid more attention. But $500 still isn't exactly chump change. The last pair of speakers that I built had less than $85 in 4- 8" drivers and a couple of tweeters with capacitors. But I have another pair that I built with $800 worth of drivers. I have too many speakers...... |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/02/19 at 15:01:40 I hear ya. Being that this is my first build, if they sound phenomenal with this amp, I'll upgrade to the Crystal and upgrade the amp. I'll probably keep the box Im building too because I'm putting some time into the build and design of the box. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Joey on 11/02/19 at 15:33:05 I have the UFO25th and the UFO2 with 25th mods. Yes, the UFO25th is crazy good but for about half the price, the UFO2 will beat anything else. You won't be disappointed, trust me. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by JOMAN on 11/03/19 at 00:48:20 I'll upgrade to the Crystal and upgrade the amp. Alex, If you are going to upgrade the amp then from one who has had the SE84UFO2, get the UFO25! You will save yourself a lot of $$$$ in the long run. The UFO2 is a great amp and it will beat “anything else” but it will not do what the UFO25 does. You cannot compare the two in terms of percentages as too how close they are because they are completely different, even if they do the Decware house sound in common to some degree. As for the $3,200.00 price tag... ITS A STEAL at that price!!! IMO the UFO25 should sell for well over 2 or 3 times the price and it would still be a phenomenal deal. However, there are limits to everything especially disposable income. So if that is the case, then a UFO2 is a no brainer. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/03/19 at 02:03:29 Thanks for the advice. Who knows, by the time I'm ready to get an amp I might see someone selling it at a lower price. I probably wont but the amp until sometime next year. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/03/19 at 08:24:40 So you folks are telling me this amp, UFO26 at 3k plus is better than the Mcintosh 275 which I can find at around 3,150? Now I’m not implying the UFO is any less inferior, which I can’t do as I’ve never heard or seen it, butbi have heard the 275 and it sounds good. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Donnie on 11/03/19 at 13:20:03 Yes we are saying that a Anniversary model sounds better. All of the "pretty" that the Mac has comes at a cost. I myself would rather pay for sound quality than green lights and shiny chrome. Of course that is my opinion, maybe the Mac sounds better to you, we all hear differently. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/03/19 at 13:49:14 True words. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Donnie on 11/03/19 at 14:54:32 Alex, I've thought more about your question about the UFO25 vs. the Mac. All of the Decware products are hand made by artisans/engineers, one at a time. The Macs are mass made on a assembly line by assemblers. More than likely the assemblers have no idea of what they are putting together, just another widget that gets screwed together. The 3 rules of assemblers is Righty tighty, break is at 9:00, and payday is Friday. Decware puts it's money into their products, hand made, hand tested and with a lifetime warranty. I might be coming off as a fanboy, but Steve and his coworkers are making products that punch way above their weight class. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by JOMAN on 11/03/19 at 18:11:21 Making this as short as I can... I have had first hand experience with a number of “audiophile” amps over many years including the the Mac 275. Simply stated.. the 275 is not even close to the UFO25. I tend to lean towards the mid years of the Audio Research products but in recent years they have left me a little cold with certain exceptions. If I were to compare the UFO25 to the Audio Research amps I would start with the Reference 75 which, last I looked, was $10,000.00. For the sake of comparison I do have to add the price tag of the GZ34 Metal Base which cost me $380.00. Even if I would round off the price of the UFO25 to $4,000.00 with some of the tubes that I have in it, I’m still comparing $4,000.00 amp to A $10,000.00 and preferring the UFO25. So when I say that the UFO25 is in Reference League Territory it’s because that’s the only type of component that is on the same plane in my experience. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/03/19 at 18:56:56 Well answered folks. And Donnie, I think you are right when it comes to Mcintosh’s being built on an assembly line. I’m going to give this 25th anniversary a lot of thought between now and the time I’ll be ready for an amp which will be sometime next year. Right now I’m testing different front enclosures styles for my speakers ie sing port vs dual ports vs triple ports. Once I decide on the front? I’ll pot it together and the. Work on the veneer overlay. So I may be 100% done in spring or summer of next year. By then I would have either saved up enough or gotten a better paying job, or someone might be selling their at a lower price. Again, thanks folks for your input. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by bokat57 on 11/04/19 at 02:33:25 Hi I have the UFO25 and I had the MC275 MK V some years ago. I can honestly say I prefer the UFO25 by far. If you have any chance to get the UFO25 this is the way to go. It really is an amazing amp and in my mind a real bargain !! Thanks Bob |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/19/19 at 17:12:55 Can someone please tell me the difference in sound in the following amps: model SE84UFO model SE84UFO2 model SE34I.5 Im asking because there isn’t a huge price variation and it seems like a lot of folks are talking about how good the SE84UFO is. Thanks in advance. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by busterfree on 11/20/19 at 00:43:40 I would submit that it is less about the sound differences and more about the feature differences. All three sound good. Room size and speaker selection will also play a part. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by busterfree on 11/20/19 at 00:59:48 SE84UFO2 over SE84UFO:
SE34I.5 over SE84UFO:
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/20/19 at 01:51:33 Busterfree, thanks for the response. I have the Lii Audio fast 10. It seems like SE84UFO2 has been, or was the mention of the town as it was all over the internet. Earlier in a post, Donnie mentioned the following, "Ok go with a SE84UFO, 90% of the performance of the Anniversary edition for considerably less." How much less in percentage would the model SE84UFO2 be if the SE84UFO is 90% of the Anniversary edition? I know that one cant really gauge sound quality over the net but it would be cool if Decware had soundbites of the different amps. It would help a lot of folks make educated choices on what they would buy/ |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/21/19 at 02:05:21 It seems like the SE84UFO2 might be the way for me to go. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 11/21/19 at 02:12:53 If you have a source with balanced output, perhaps. Still, I think a preamp and/or ZROCK2 in the future will expand and improve your sound, and you may prefer the single-ended inputs in the SE84UFO then. And to be honest I don't find the meters to be a "plus" at all, I have Taboo amps with them and really don't pay any attention to them, if they weren't there I'd be just as happy. So perhaps the SE84UFO is the better choice. . . and think about doing the 25th Anniversary mods either up front or in the future. They RULE. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/21/19 at 02:30:40 Thanks for your response Lon. When you say, "Do the 25th anniversary mods..." are you saying buy the 25th Anniversary amp itself? Or just the mods? If you are referring to just the mods, how can I see what the mods are and the price list? ZROCK II? Interesting. I just read up on it. SO this helps give more bass? I was thinking about buying a power sub for more bass. I wonder how much more bass the ZROCKII can give my speakers. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 11/21/19 at 03:13:56 You could certainly buy the 25th Anniversary Amp, that would cost more, and you get meters, fancy top plate, voltage regulation tubes etc. You can get the beeswax bypass mod which is the lion's share of the sonic benefits, as you can see on the attached price sheet. As for the ZROCK2, it will give you more bass and MORE (read the user impression in the ZROCK2 forum here) and improves all the aspects of the sonic experience in my estimation; I have two, one each in two systems. Personally I have never been a fan of subwoofers and don't need the lowest bass they are designed for, the ZROCK2 does a better job in my systems. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/21/19 at 16:01:32 Thanks for this list. The mods add up and I don’t know what any of those mods mean for the improvement of the sound…. Sorry for my ignorance. In addition, the 25th Anniversary amp is out of the question for now... too expensive for my blood. I am definitely looking at the SE84UFO, which is in my price range…, but again, those mods can add up. Besides these Lii Audio speakers sound darn good already. Adding the SE84UFO will make them sound even better. And I can stand to add some bass so the ZROCK is a definite yes. Now it seems like the ZROCK has mods, which can be added. Can anyone please explain to me the purpose of the Beeswax bypass cap mod and poly bypass cap mod in layman’s term? How do they help in the sound. If I bought the ZROCK II without these mods what would the difference in sound be? Thanks in advance folks. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 11/21/19 at 22:34:05 I'll see if anyone else pipes in as I don't want to be the only one talking in this thread about the mods. But I will say what they add is what I think Steve rightly refers to as "Density." More information to the signal which means more body and texture as well as detail, without being etched or harsh. More dynamic and real sounding. Once you have a taste. . . you don't easily go back to non-modded sound. You'd want this from the start when you get there eventually. In the ZROCK2 the mods add even more transparency and influential tuning possibilities. I have both a modded and un-modded one. Both sound very good, both are a benefit to any system I have. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/24/19 at 16:50:00 Frist I'd like to thank everyone for their input; it is highly valued. As a person who doesn't have a lot of cash to cough out, I can only buy a few things at a time. Do my question is the following, and perhaps Lon can answer this. I'm buying the SE84UFO and the ZROCKII. Which should I get the Beeswax bypass cap mod in? The amp or the EQ? If I had the money, I'd do both. Thanks in advance. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 11/24/19 at 17:10:36 My two cents: it's more important in the amplifier and if you can only do one, do the amplifier and plan for the ZROCK2. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/24/19 at 20:05:12 Thank you very much for your advice Lon. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/24/19 at 20:38:24 Hi Adam and thank you for your advice and thank you for taking the time to respond. I tried to respond to your message but my message stayed in my inbox and isn't moving anywhere. I think there may be a problem with decware's ISP provider but I may be wrong. When you said the following, 'ZROCK2 (stock but type II caps)" are you saying the ZROCK 2 and what it comes with as stock, or are you saying the ZROCK 2 but I should have them add the type 2 caps added? I'm really stoked about Decware and I think it's the diamond in the rough I have been searching for. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Tone-Deaf on 11/28/19 at 01:46:16 Alex - FYI, Steve Deckert discusses the mods in some depth in the "General Discussion and Support" forum, under the topic "Anniversary Mods for Decware Gear." See particularly the first post. The link is: https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1541785109 Hope that helps with your research. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 11/28/19 at 12:45:13 Thanks for the information tone-deaf. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 12/04/19 at 13:43:57 I have a question for my fellow SE84UFO owners: The rectifier, or the big bulb is very close to the ah… transformer I think it is, or the big block. It’s close enough to where they are touching. Should I be concerned? It also seems like the pins of the bulbs have to be forced into their individual sockets and takes some effort to pull out. I am asking because I want to make sure I am putting the bulbs in the right place. And I am referring to the smaller bulbs. The big one went in pretty easily. Thanks folks. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Lon on 12/04/19 at 14:51:08 Alex, if the rectifier is actually touching the transformer that's likely not the best long-term situation. But if it's very close it should be fine, I've run rectifiers in the Zen amps that close before and not had any issue. Also it's common for the input and driver tubes to want a bit of effort put into installing them -- a healthy socket can be that way. I hope you are really enjoying the sound. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Geno on 12/04/19 at 14:54:50 Hi Alex. The coke bottle rectifiers will be very close to the transformer. Nothing to worry about. New sockets will sometimes be a tight fit with the power and input tubes. This is normal. Just take your time, and ease it in or out, which ever the case may be. The fact that these tubes are small make them harder to get a grip on too. |
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Title: Re: Best tube amp to pair wirh Lii Audio Fast 10 Post by Alex on 12/04/19 at 21:34:08 Awesome. Thanks guys. Something else I noticed is the knob for the volume, if turn hard enough goes all the way around. I’m assuming it’s supposed to stop when it gets to its max. Now, it does stop, but with a little more effort, it crosses the max and rotates back to the beginning again. Anyone else experience this? Perhaps there’s a way I can tighten it or if it’s the knob is worn I can get a new knob. Eventually, I’m going to put this amp in a wood case... just to case the sides. Does anyone think this is bad for the amp and will prevent the amp from cooling down? |
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